Timing
I measure both cycle times and shutter delay times, using a test system I designed
and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.)
Here are the numbers I collected for the Nikon Coolpix 2100:

Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button.
Quite a bit faster than average. (Average is 0.2-0.3 seconds.)

Cycle Time, max/min resolution

2.51/3.44

First numbers is for large/fine files,
second number is time for small/basic images. Times are averages. The
camera displays an auto review of each shot, which cannot be canceled,
and there doesn't seem to be any buffer memory. About average.

Cycle Time, continuous mode, max/min resolution

0.62/0.62
(1.6 fps)

First pair of number is for large/fine, second is for small/basic
files. Number beneath is corresponding frames per second. Captures ~7
files in large/fine mode this fast, then slows, captures ~50 files in
small/basic mode. Fairly fast for a compact camera.

Overall, the Coolpix 3500 is fairly fast for a compact model, coming out
a bit faster than average on most measures, apart from the somewhat leisurely
startup time. Shutter lag is about average. (I do consider the average shutter
lag of digicams to be *much* too slow, but the 2100 is no worse than most.)
Cycle times are about average, although there doesn't appear to be any buffer
memory involved - The cycle time is average, but never gets slower than that,
regardless of how many shots you snap. Continuous-mode cycle time is pretty
good at about 1.6 frame/second, but many full-sized cameras are twice that
fast. All in all though, decent performance figures for a compact digicam.

PowerThe Coolpix 2100 can use a pair of rechargeable NiMH AA batteries,
one CRV3 lithium battery or two LR6 AA nickel manganese batteries for power.

The table below shows the Coolpix 2100's power consumption in various modes,
and approximate run times for each, based on a pair of NiMH batteries with
a (true, not advertised) 1600 mAh capacity:

Operating Mode

Power
(@4.2 volts on the external power terminal)

Est. Minutes
(2 true 1600 mAh capacity NiMH AA cells)

Capture Mode, w/LCD

509 mA

108

Capture Mode, no LCD

10 mA

~ 4 days (!)

Half-pressed shutter w/LCD

513 mA

107

Half-pressed w/o LCD

416 mA

132

Memory Write (transient)

507 mA

n/a

Flash Recharge (transient)

1,482 mA

n/a

Image Playback

338 mA

162

The Coolpix 2100's battery life is a bit better than average for a compact
digicam. (And my projected run times shown above are a little conservative
these days, given that they're based on rechargeable AA cells with a true
capacity of 1600 mAh - Cells are currently available with true capacities
as high as 1800 mAh.) The extremely low power drain in record mode with the
LCD turned off is particularly welcome, although the optical viewfinders on
most digicams aren't accurate enough to rely on them for critical framing.

As always, I highly recommend picking up a couple of sets of high-capacity
rechargeable batteries, and keeping a spare set freshly charged at all times.
Click here
to read my "battery shootout" page to see which batteries currently
on the market are best, or here
for my review of the Maha C-204F charger, my longtime favorite.

Storage CapacityThe Coolpix 2100 stores its photos on CompactFlash memory cards, and a
16MB card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying
at least a 64MB card, preferably a 128MB one, to give yourself extra space
for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored
on the included 16MB card at each size/quality setting.

Image Capacity vs
Resolution/Quality
16MB Memory Card

Fine

Normal

1,600
x 1,200

Images
(Avg size)

16
985KB

31
512KB

Approx.
Compression

6:1

11:1

1,024
x 768

Images
(Avg size)

-

69
230KB

Approx.
Compression

-

10:1

640 x 480

Images
(Avg size)

-

144
111KB

Approx.
Compression

-

8:1

Download SpeedThe Coolpix 2100 connects to a host computer via a USB interface. Downloading
files to a dual 1 GHz PowerMac G4 (OS X, version 10.2.3), I clocked it at
456 KBytes/second. (Cameras with slow USB interfaces run as low as 300 KB/s,
cameras with fast ones run as high as 600 KB/s.)